Everyone knows that we *need water to survive. Many adults around the world can’t get through the day without energy drinks, and milk is popular among the younger set. Why are we talking about what we drink? Well, because we recently learned that May 6 is National Beverage Day. Here’s our tribute to that day, based on some of the most popular beverages in the world.

1. TEA
Tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world. It is an aromatic beverage commonly prepared by pouring boiling water over the leaves of Camellia sinensis, and can be enjoyed hot or cold, and can bring different health benefits. Tea plants mostly grow in Asia, but tea is enjoyed in many countries around the world.
✠ Read a book with over 10,000 ratings on GR; tell us how many ratings OR a book whose title begins with T (disregard A, An and The) – Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (139,524 GR ratings)

2. COFFEE
Coffee is a brewed beverage made from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of the coffee plant. Coffee beans are produced in at least 70 countries around the world, and many people drink coffee several times a day. It is mostly enjoyed hot, but iced coffee is also very popular, especially in the summer.
✠ Read a book with a 7 in its original year of publication; tell us the year OR a book with an outdoor plant shown prominently on the cover; post the cover – Adventures of a Young Naturalist: The Zoo Quest Expeditions by David Attenborough (2017)

3. BEER
Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world. It has probably been around since prehistoric times and is consumed in every country around the world. The added ingredients for beer are water, a starch source, hops, yeast and a clarifying agent.
✠ Read a book with double Es in its title OR a book set before 1000 BC – Kangaroo Dundee by Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns

4. VODKA
Vodka is a very popular alcoholic beverage in Eastern Europe, but it is also the most popular white spirit in North America. Vodka can be enjoyed straight, or mixed with a variety of other beverages, and it can even come in different flavors, such as fruit flavors, dessert flavors or candy flavors.
✠ Read a book set in Eastern Europe (see note below) OR a book by an author who writes more than one series; tell us the series’ names and post a link to the author’s GR pageEastern Europe, as defined by the United Nations Statistics Division, includes the countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, and Slovakia, as well as the republics of Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. – Cavern of the Fear by Emily Rodda

5. WINE
Wine is mostly made from fermented grapes, but can be made with other fruits. Wine lovers can enjoy red wine, white wine, or even non-alcoholic wine. While some bottles are sold for thousands of dollars, most wines are very affordable.
✠ Read a book whose title begins with a four-letter word OR a book that was expensive to obtain – Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed

6. SOFT DRINKS
Soft drinks and sodas are also popular, with 1.9 billion servings of Coca-Cola products alone sold every day. They are generally made with carbonated water, artificial flavors, and a sweetener although sugar substitutes are added to diet soft drinks.
✠ Read a book with an intact “19” in its total page count; tell us how many pages OR a book by an author whose first and last initials can be found in SOFTDRINKS; post a link to the author’s GR page – Kisses and Curses edited by Lauren Burniac

7. ORANGE JUICE
Orange juice is the most popular of all fruit juices. Many people buy orange juice made from concentrate, but some prefer squeezing fresh oranges to make their own juice. Millions of gallons are consumed every year, and it is the world’s number one source of Vitamin C.
✠ Read a book with fruit shown prominently on the cover; post the cover OR a book with a primarily orange cover; post the cover – The Heart is a Burial Ground by Tamara Colchester